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EDITORIALS
Mar 24, 2006

Glory days for Japanese baseball

I n recent years, circumstances surrounding Japanese baseball suggested that its popularity was in decline and that soccer was drawing away many fans. However, Team Japan's 10-6 victory over Cuba this week to win the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) is certainly enough to lift the fortunes...
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2006

JAL misses jet check deadline, hit

The transport ministry Thursday ordered Japan Airlines to ground a jetliner that had gone unchecked 10 days past an inspection deadline, after it was discovered JAL had not followed proper procedures when conducting the belated check on the aircraft, ministry officials said.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2006

Key commercial land prices up

Land prices in commercial areas in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya rose for the first time in 15 years, backed by an improving economy and active real estate investment, a government survey showed Thursday.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2006

FamilyMart, Ryohin revive ties

Convenience store chain FamilyMart Co. and Ryohin Keikaku Co., which runs stores selling Mujirushi Ryohin brand goods, said Thursday they will take an equity stake in each other, reviving cross-shareholding ties they had until three years ago.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2006

Ex-exec named New York consul

The Foreign Ministry on Thursday appointed Motoatsu Sakurai, former head of the U.S. unit of trading house Mitsubishi Corp., as the new consul general for New York, effective the same day.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2006

Tax break for families with kids eyed

The government and ruling coalition, at the first meeting of a special committee charged with devising measures to halt the declining birthrate, agreed Thursday to study giving families with children a tax break, panel members said.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2006

China hopes 'anime' fair will promote exchanges

Representatives from China's animation industry, visiting Tokyo for a trade fair, expressed hope Thursday that an international "anime" animation trade show scheduled for this summer in Shanghai will help promote cultural exchanges with Japan.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2006

METI calls for exchanges, investment to raise growth

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry proposed Thursday that Japan boost its personnel exchanges and financial cooperation with other Asian economies to strengthen the country's global competitiveness.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 24, 2006

Asian Kung-Fu Generation "Fanclub"

Asian Kung-Fu Generation are a phenomenon in Japanese alternative rock. With their regular, well-received festival appearances and skyrocketing record sales (2004's "Solfa" shifted over half a million) they are a role model for any indie rock band looking for life beyond the Tokyo "toilet circuit." ...
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2006

New yen loans to China are put on hold for now

Amid continued strained bilateral ties, the government has put on hold its decision to provide fresh yen loans to China for fiscal 2005, Foreign Ministry officials said Thursday.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 24, 2006

Bedtime stories

When the small-scale production "Philippine Bedtime Stories," an omnibus of three short plays by Filipino writers about male-female relationships, played in Tokyo in November 2004, word-of-mouth spread quickly, especially to audiences younger than the usual theater crowd in tune with its controversial...
CULTURE / Music
Mar 24, 2006

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan "Ballad of the Broken Seas"

Isobel Campbell, formerly of the twee neofolk Glaswegian group Belle & Sebastian, has teamed up with Mark Lanegan, former lead singer of American grunge rockers Screaming Trees, for this unlikely collaboration. The appeal of the pairing lies in the contrast in vocal styles of the two singers -- Campbell...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Mar 24, 2006

Psychedelic radar 03.24

Friday, March 24
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 24, 2006

Tokyo music festival to celebrate Mozart

Whether you are a classical music beginner, a hardcore addict or just a trend-follower, head's up! La Folle Journee au Japon Music Festival is coming to Tokyo during the Golden Week holidays and will be held from Saturday, April 29 to May 6.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2006

Trade balance swung back into black in February

Japan posted a customs-cleared trade surplus of 955.7 billion yen for February, swinging back into the black from a 351 billion yen deficit in January, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 24, 2006

Culture as soft power: grad school holds forum

The National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), a graduate school and research institute established in Tokyo in October 1997, will hold a forum titled "Culture as 'Soft Power': International Cultural Exchange of Government-Citizen Cooperation" on March 25. "Soft power" is a term used in...
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2006

Police search Chongryun affiliate over '80 abduction

Police raided six locations Thursday, including an Osaka business group affiliated with the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun), over North Korea's abduction of Tadaaki Hara in 1980, they said.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 24, 2006

Nightmares on Wax "In a Space Outta Sound"

Hip-hop has made an art out of delving into the past to render something relevant for the present. It's a tradition George Evelyn of Nightmares On Wax is well versed in, but on his latest album, the sampler vies for action alongside more live instrumentation. As on previous outings, dub, jazz and funk...
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2006

Usen chief considering Livedoor integration

Usen Corp. President Yasuhide Uno said Thursday he is ready to consider integrating his firm's management with Livedoor Co., 12.74 percent of whose shares he bought from Fuji Television Network Inc.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 24, 2006

Lovin' tribute to jug band legend Fritz

"If you believe in magic, don't bother to choose / If it's jug band music, or rhythm and blues / Just go and listen, it'll start with a smile / It won't wipe off your face no matter how hard you try," sang John Sebastian in the mid-'60s hit "Do You Believe in Magic," a song he performed with his folk-pop...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji